Fish oil has received much research and popular attention for the remarkable health benefits of its omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid -- EPA -- and docosahexaenoic acid -- DHA. Interestingly, fish do not produce these oils themselves, but derive the oils and accumulate them from the algae they eat. Joint pain is among the many health conditions that fish oil helps, according to research.
Decreases Delayed Onset Soreness
Delayed onset muscle soreness responds well to fish oil therapy, says a study by B. Tartibian et al., at the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Faculty of Humanities and Literature, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Participants consumed 1.8 g of omega-3 oils per day and performed knee extension exercises after having not exercised for 60 days prior to the study. While no differences were reported in perceived muscle pain or soreness immediately after or within 24 hours of exercise, decreased pain was reported 48 hours after the exercise. The study was published in the March 2009 "Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine."
Decreases Inflammation
Fish oil moderately decreases exercise-related inflammation in fit men, says a study by R.J. Bloomer et al., at the Department of Health and Sport Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. Participants in the study supplemented with 2224 mg EPA and 2208 mg DHA for 6 weeks and then performed a strenuous exercise for 60 minutes. Levels of creatine kinase -- an enzyme that indicates muscle metabolism -- were lower in the EPA/DHA group compared to a control group that did not receive essential fatty acids, indicating more rapid recovery. Markers of oxidative stress, including lactic acid and muscle soreness, were not different between the groups. The researchers of the study, published in the August 2009 "Lipids in Health and Disease," suggested that the modest response may have been due to the high fitness level of the study subjects, who tend to have lower levels of inflammation.
Improves Efficiency
Muscle efficiency increases with fish oil supplementation, according to a study by P.L. McLennan et al., at Smart Foods Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Fish oils improved muscle cell membrane function which, in turn, decreased oxygen consumption, say the researchers of the study, published in the December 2010 "British Journal of Nutrition." In the study, laboratory rats consumed fish oil for eight weeks, after which oxygen consumption during exercise was measured to be considerably lower than a control group that did not receive fish oil.
Delays Recovery
Fish oil inhibited early stages of muscle recovery from atrophy due to immobilization, according to a study by J.S. You et al., at the Department of Food and Nutrition, Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. In the study, laboratory rats were immobilized for 10 days. Recovery of muscle mass did not occur in the fish oil group until 13 days after activity was restored. The study was published in the October 2010 "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry."
References
- PubMed.gov: The effects of fish oil and isoflavones on delayed onset muscle soreness Lenn J, et al.; 2002
- PubMed.gov: Effect of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid on resting and exercise-induced inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers: a randomized, placebo controlled, cross-over study; Bloomer RJ, et al.; 2009
- PubMed.gov: The effects of ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in untrained men; Tartibian B, et al.; 2009
- PubMed.gov: Dietary fish oil reduces skeletal muscle oxygen consumption, provides fatigue resistance and improves contractile recovery in the rat in vivo hindlimb; Peoples GE, et al.; 2010
- PubMed.gov: Dietary fish oil inhibits the early stage of recovery of atrophied soleus muscle in rats via Akt-p70s6k signaling and PGF2α; You JS, et al.; 2010
- PubMed.gov: omega-3 Fatty acids infusions as adjuvant therapy in rheumatoid arthritis; Bahadori B, et al.; 2010
